PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

In accordance with the Åland Autonomy Act, the Parliament represents the population of Åland in matters relating to the autonomy of the Åland Islands. The members of the Parliament are elected by direct and secret ballot in which suffrage is universal and equal.

In accordance with the Autonomy Act, the Parliament itself has the power to legislate on matters concerning its election. The rules governing Parliamentary elections are stated in the Act of Åland on Parliamentary and local council elections. (39/70).

This information leaflet explains who may vote and who may stand in Parliamentary elections as well as how elections are organized and how the results are calculated.

FRANCHISE AND ELIGIBILITY FOR OFFICE
The franchise in the Parliamentary and local council elections is limited to those persons whose eighteenth birthday falls on or before the election day and who have the rigt of domicile in Åland. The right of domicile is also a necessary condition for eligibility, that is to say, the right to stand as a candidate in elections.

The right of domicile is automatic for persons born in Åland of parents who themselves have this right. The Parliament of Åland may also grant the right of domicile to applicants who have been resident in Åland for five years and who have satisfactory proficiency in the Swedish language.

THE TIMING OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Statutory elections to the Parliament are held every four years on the third Sunday in October.

Local council elections are held simultaneously and not at the same time as elsewhere in Finland. Parliamentary and presidential elections are thus held simultaneously with the rest of Finland.

Advance voting may take place by post or at home in case of infirmity or in hospitals or other institutions.

ELECTORAL ASSOCIATIONS AND ELECTORAL ALLIANCES
A number of electors may join together into an Electoral Association and draw up an common list of candidates with one or several names on it. Electoral Associations may in their turn join into Electoral Alliances.

Party politics is of fairly recent date in Åland, but during the last few decades the electoral alliances have largely coincided with the political fractions or parties.

THE CALCULATION OF ELECTION RESULTS
In Parliamentary elections each candidate has his or her own numer. Voters write their candidate's number on the ballot paper. In contrast to the procedure in many other countries, voters do not cast their votes for party lists.

In the Parliamentary elections in Åland votes are cast both for individual candidates and for lists. The principle underlyling the election system is proportional representation and the result is calculated according to the so-called d'Hondt Method.

The distribution of the thirty seats in the Parliament is done proportionally on the basis of the total number of votes cast for the electoral alliances, that is to say, the total number of votes cast for all the candidates of an electoral alliance. In this sense a vote for a candidate also benefits an electoral alliance or party.

The number of votes cast for each individual candidate decides which candidates have been elected.

If the candidates of an electoral alliance appear on single-name lists, i.e. if electoral associations put up only one candidate each, the candidate who has received the most votes is given the electoral association's first seat, the candidate with the second most votes is given the second seat etc.

If candidates appear on multi-name lists, they are first awarded a comparative number on the list according to the number of votes cast for eache of them. The candidate with the largest number of votes is given the highest comparative number etc. The seats are then distributed according to the comparative numbers.